Advocacy

HaSM is an advocacy group. It speaks out for Muslims against discrimination, prejudice, misinformation, hate, defamation, and denigration, as well as against those who incite violence against Muslims.

It also stands up for the rights of non-religious Muslims - namely Muslim humanists/atheists/ secularists, Muslim converts to other religions, dissenters, etc.- who are persecuted or denied rights because of their different outlook on religion in general, and/or Islam in particular. We do not, however, on account of that objective tolerate, let alone support, hate directed against Muslims and Islam in the name of dissent, debate, apostasy, freedom of speech, women's and gays' rights and so on. Only constructive, objective, civilized debate and discussion are accepted.

There are a number of other mainstream moderate North American Islamic and Arab organizations which also speak for Muslims and Islam. We fully support them and their very vital work. But we do offer a different perspective which tackles the issues from a non-traditional, in-depth and holistic angle, as well as from the purely secular, pragmatic angle, while including as points of reference spirituality and religious dogma. Our methodology is rooted in the multifaceted intellectual foundation of critical analysis.

In carrying out our mandate, we do need input from all interested parties. Please alert us to any gratuitous or unjust hate attacks on Muslims that you spot in the media or elsewhere, or which are expressed by politicians, academics, artists, etc. in your community anywhere in the world. We need to expose and challenge them, no matter how trivial they may appear. "Trivial" has the unfortunate habit of escalating into "serious", if not checked.

We occasionally may ask our members and interested parties that support our cause, to contact politicians, religious leaders, mass media, academics, governmental, parliamentary, congressional or other relevant entities, to express their views on issues that demand such action. That's apart from our regular communication with such people.

In our advocacy efforts, we also mail analyses and studies, booklets and pamphlets that we publish and print in-house, to various relevant parties around the globe to explain factual and other errors in the ongoing attacks on Islam and Muslims.

Speaking up for non-Muslims

The other side of our advocacy work includes speaking up for non-Muslim minorities and their rights in Muslim nations, wherever such advocacy is in need. Your input is vital in that respect as well.